Pleasant's return sparks late surge in Albany's win over Iraan

COLORADO CITY — Iraan's Wheeler Allen hauled in a pass from Zeth Hernandez with one second left in the third quarter to cut Albany's lead to 28-25, and it appeared the upset-minded Braves were closing in on the Lions in the teams' Class 1A Division II area-round matchup Friday. But Albany used that one second to prove otherwise.

Lions runningback Ryan Pleasant brought the ensuing kickoff back 80 yards for a momentum-stealing knockout punch, and Albany pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 49-25 win.

"If you can score with the special teams unit or on defense, that's always a big bonus,"Albany coach Denney Faith said.

Despite a 6-5 record entering the second-round showdown, Iraan proved to be a pesky opponent for the Lions, causing stress on many occasions for the favored Albany squad.

Lions quarterback Jake Bumgaurdner intercepted a pass at the Iraan 20 yard line with 1:19 left in the first half and was brought down at the 12. Following the turnover Bumquardner converted a quarterback keeper for a touchdown that put the Lions ahead 21-7 with just over a minute to go before halftime. The Braves used a quick-strike offense,fueled by a hot-route passing attack, to answer before both teams headed to the locker room.Zeth Hernandez connected on three consecutive passes for 36, 12, and 11 yards and collected four consecutive first downs — the last of which Weston Maxcey scored on from 2 yards out to make the score 21-13. A missed extra point kept the score there at halftime.

Iraan scored on its opening drive of the third quarter to bring the Braves within two, and after both teams exchanged three-and-outs and a pair of punts, Albany's Samuel Raymond broke the scoring with a 1-yard run with 2:30 to play in the third quarter.

"We made some adjustments at halftime and our offensive line really started opening up some holes," Faith said. "We were able to control the clock and the game from there."

After the Braves cut the lead from nine points to two with Wheeler's reception, Pleasant's return dizzied Iraan's tempo.The Braves, who finished the game with 394 total yards, were unable to put together a threatening drive in the fourth quarter.

Bumgaurdner would add a 22-yard run for a second touchdown, and Pleasant capped the scoring with a 12 yard prance to account for the game's final margin.The senior quarterback-tailback rushing tandem of Bumgaurdner and Pleasant anchored the Lion's offense to combine for 291 yards on the ground.

"We're playing our best football right now," Bumguardner said of the 10-1 Lions, who have gone undefeated since losing a nondistrict game to top-ranked Munday early in the season. "The team is really starting to come together."